Chills
by captainbean
Summary: Just how did Lucy come to be wearing Wyatt's red jacket at the end of 2x02? {Spoilers through to 2x02, Lyatt}


_(a/n) I'm alive! Huzzah! Well… season 2 was AMAZING wasn't it?! Now it's finished, the plot bunnies have reawakened. If you're not already, go and storm twitter with the #RenewTimeless campaign. Full disclosure: The Darlington 500 was my favourite episode of season 2 and I've watched the trunk scene more than is humanly healthy. Enjoy!_

 **Chills**

Lucy was cold.

Lucy was _always_ cold. Before she'd been forced to move into the bunker, she was forever wrapping herself in blankets, fuzzy socks and over-sized sweaters. There weren't so many of those creature comforts in the bunker, but Agent Christopher was doing her best to make them feel at home, even if she hadn't quite gotten around to providing Lucy with much of anything resembling her former wardrobe. Not that it mattered – Lucy was more than happy to make do with the comfortable assortment of plain clothes that Denise had managed to gift her upon her sudden unexpected return and borrowing the odd item from Jiya. Besides, there was nowhere to go and no one to see. It wasn't like she had college meetings to attend or students to teach. That was a far-off distant memory in the utter disbelief of Lucy's current situation.

So when the alarm sounded, informing them they'd be travelling to 1955, their attention had inevitably turned to sartorial needs. Gone was their huge Wardrobe dock at Mason Industries that Connor had acquired at the drop of a hat, so last minute modern-day arrangements were deemed necessary.

"Are you gonna be ok?" Wyatt asked Lucy, nodding to her bare arms as they made their way towards to Lifeboat. "This godforsaken bunker is like an ice-box as it is, and who knows what hell-hole we're about to walk into."

"It's South Carolina, I'll be fine," Lucy told him with a smile that didn't quite reach her eyes.

He'd seen that look on her face too much since she'd come back, and he didn't like it. He hated the thought that she'd shut down emotionally a little, even with him. He knew her better than to believe her, even about something as trivial as an extra layer. Wyatt narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Lucy, come on-" he began, raising his eyebrows, and stopping in his tracks.

"What's wrong?" Denise frowned, as she stopped short behind them, Connor on her heels.

"Lucy's gonna freeze." Wyatt stated plainly, folding his arms.

"I am _not_." Lucy rolled her eyes back at Wyatt's disbelieving gaze.

"Ah yes, I _am_ sorry about that. The old wardrobe budget isn't quite what it used to be… and acquiring an era-appropriate jumper on such short notice, well…" Connor apologised earnestly.

"What the hell is a jumper?" Denise asked, scrunching up her face.

"It's British for sweater." Jiya smirked, joining them from the corridor, swiping across the iPad in her hands to make sure their flight plan was satisfactory.

"I'm sure Lucy will survive." Denise rolled her eyes at Jiya's snark. "Now get going, and be on the lookout for Emma."

As they settled themselves in the Lifeboat, readying themselves for take-off, Lucy allowed Wyatt to fuss over her seat-belt. She was perfectly capable of strapping herself in, and had been for quite some time, but Wyatt had slipped back into old habits since he and Rufus had come to her rescue in 1918. She'd been too traumatised by her ordeal with Carol and her accompanying betrayal to focus on anything when they'd finally trekked back to the Lifeboat. As Lucy had collapsed into her seat and tried to hold it together, numbness beginning to spread through her entire being, Wyatt had taken charge and gently buckled her in – and with a firm "Let's get the hell out of here" from Rufus, they were on their way, Wyatt keeping his worried eyes trained on Lucy for the duration.

Wyatt had been keeping a worried gaze trained on Lucy ever since. He constantly found himself needing to check on her, to make sure her return hadn't been a dream and that he wasn't still living the waking nightmare of her absence. Unable to keep even keep still, let alone sleep, he let his feet lead him to her door on the very first night of her homecoming, only to find her sound asleep. Assuming she'd be cold without the bedsheets (she was _always_ cold), he'd tucked her in, brushed the hair from her face and kissed her gently on the forehead. She was _here_ , he reassured himself. She was _safe_. And still, Wyatt felt the grip of anxiety tightening around his chest, feeling she'd disappear if he took his eyes off her for even a second.

This lingering unease had yet to leave him, especially in light of Lucy's apparent emotional shutdown. He'd started bringing her cups of herbal tea every few hours, asking her if she was ok more than was probably strictly necessary, keeping her company (and well stocked in highlighters) whilst she poured over endless research. And, of course, buckling her into the Lifeboat. There was even one instance where she'd passed out cold on their poor excuse for a couch after a bout of 27 hour insomnia and she'd mysteriously woken up in her own bed the next morning. Rufus had told her later that Wyatt had gently carried her to her room after she'd fallen asleep and he'd had to listen to Jiya quoting _An Officer and a Gentleman_ for the next hour.

Lucy, for her part, wasn't stopping him. He wasn't sure whether to take this as a good sign that she was letting him take care of her, or as a bad sign that she simply didn't care enough to argue. Jiya assured him it was the former, but he still couldn't help but worry.

And now, despite the brilliant sunshine they'd stepped into in 1955, she was still running her hands up and down her arms trying to generate some heat into her bare skin.

"Lucy…" Wyatt murmured concernedly, starting to remove his red jacket. After being forcefully separated from her for six weeks, he couldn't bear to see her as unhappy as he knew she currently was – whether it was a surface level chill or the deeper emotional wound of her mother's deception. Truth be told, all he wanted to do was wrap his arms around her and never let go – to keep her safe _and_ warm.

"You two about ready?" Wendell asked, popping the trunk of his car with raised eyebrows and a grin. Rufus stood next to him, grinning for entirely different reasons, and Wyatt knew his little _"You're in love with Lucy!"_ speech was probably running through his friend's mind right about then.

Wyatt had taken off his jacket with the intention of giving it to Lucy to keep warm, but he could see a much bigger problem on the horizon. She exhaled a short nervous breath and, clenching her jaw, squeezed her eyes together for a beat too long. She was nervous. Wyatt took one look at the dusty, small trunk and sprang into action.

"Here," he muttered, laying his jacket out for her so she'd be more comfortable. "I'm going to climb in first. I'll be right here the whole time, ok?" Wyatt took her by the shoulders and looked down into her eyes, trying to reassure her. She gave a shaky breath but held his gaze and gave a tiny nod. Wyatt knew that despite everything she was going through, Lucy trusted him, and he'd damn well keep her safe.

He was surprised that his underlying wish to wrap his arms around her was shortly granted when they were on their way, bumping along the dirt road, and her claustrophobia was getting the better of her. Wyatt noticed that whilst in his arms, Lucy had stopped shivering (through lack of chill or fear, he wasn't sure) and he was finding it increasingly difficult to ignore the feeling of the length of her body against his or the gentle sensation of her breath on his neck.

That became entirely impossible to disregard when Wyatt found himself flat against her after a particularly violent jolt of the car threw his entire weight on top of her. Truth be told, Wyatt didn't _want_ to ignore it. And if the way Lucy was stoking his jaw and pulling his face closer to hers was any indication, neither did she.

Wyatt had missed her. Heart wrenchingly missed her. And despite his denials to Rufus, Wyatt knew what that meant. He'd been driven half insane during her six week disappearance, and regardless of her safe return, there was still something missing. Wyatt needed Lucy – in every way. To hold her, to keep her safe, to explore the possibilities… He'd opened himself up to those tempting prospects on the balcony the day of the fateful explosion at Mason Industries. He'd told Lucy he wasn't ready to say goodbye yet and she'd been ripped away from him anyway. Now, here she was, pulling him in for the second time, her nose brushing his and their lips barely touching…

…before the lid of the trunk popped open and they were faced with blinding sunlight streaming in behind Rufus and Wendell. Whilst he and Lucy sheepishly grinned at their friends, before Wyatt somewhat awkwardly hauled himself off her and offered her his hand to help her climb out, he distantly wondered if _all_ his colleagues were secretly conspiring to block him at opportune moments with Lucy. Throw in Agent Christopher next and he'd have a full set, along with Jiya, Rufus and Connor. Feeling more than a little frustrated, Wyatt busied himself with formulating their next move. With the adrenaline of a gun fight and car chase thrown in, those frustrations were quickly dispelled, but returned with full force after all the excitement of their victory started to wear off and he found Lucy leaning against the side of the car, rubbing her hands up and down her arms once more.

"Hey," he greeted her softly as he came to stand in front of her, quirking his eyebrows. "Cold?"

"No." she shook her head brightly. "No, just, y'know, taking a minute. Just to clear my head."

He understood. Despite the buzz of the mission, whenever it started to dissipate that always meant facing reality again. Plus, the woman was _always_ cold. "Lucy."

"Ok, _fine_." Lucy rolled her eyes and smiled. "I'm cold. Are you happy? But I wasn't until just now, so you can keep your ' _I told you so_ ' to-" She froze as he held her gaze and leaned in close enough for her to feel his breath on her cheek, reaching in through the open car window behind her. He drew his arm back, producing his red jacket, and took a step closer to her, silently wrapping it around her shoulders and running his hands once up and down her arms.

"Better?" He asked with a smile.

"Much better," Lucy murmured, unable to tear her eyes away from his.

Wyatt took a step closer still, closing the gap between them when Rufus' shout shattered the crackle of electricity in the air. "Guys?" He rounded the corner, taking note of Lucy leaning back against the car with a small grin on her face and Wyatt looking murderously in his direction. "Guess I'm two for two today…" he muttered, before clearing his throat and declaring they should say their goodbyes to Wendell before they had to get going.

When they returned to the bunker, Lucy wearing Wyatt's jacket was not lost on Jiya. Her eyes were alight with glee as she took in Wyatt watching Lucy depart down the hallway, still wrapped in the red coat.

Wyatt caught sight of her sitting at the kitchen table, grinning at him with pure delight after Lucy's exit. "What?" he asked her bluntly.

"What? Nothing." Jiya shook her head, unable to wipe the grin from her face. Wyatt looked at her disbelievingly, silently prompting her with raised eyebrows. "Remind me why you haven't asked Lucy out yet?"

"Gee, I don't know," Wyatt said sarcastically. "Maybe because we live in a goddamn bunker with a bunch of people who don't know how to knock?"

"Sure, sure, but what's the _real_ reason?" Jiya pressed.

" _Goodnight_ , Jiya." Wyatt said firmly, before taking off for his own room down the hall.

It had been one hell of a day. Wyatt swore to himself that the third time, whenever that may be, would be the charm.

 **Fin**

 _(a/n) I would be thrilled if you'd be so kind as to leave me a review!_


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